configuring the yoast wordpress seo plugin

Yoast’s WordPress SEO Plugin

October 9, 2014

Scott Hendison

Scott Hendison

• Started selling software online in 1997.

• Went to my first Pubcon in 2004.

• Started Using WordPress in 2005. • Started Using WordPress in 2005.

• Used All in One SEO & Headspace

• 400th user of YWPSEO, and haven‘t looked back

Defaults Are Terrible

Activation

Dashboard

Dashboard

• Not much to change there

• Default settings are fine

• You can reset all defaults after config

• Decide if editors and authors should have • Decide if editors and authors should have access to the advanced plugin features for their content

• I wish we could input Google Analytics

Dashboard

Titles and Metas

Titles and Metas

• This is the meat of the plugin

• Set global preferences

• Not bad out of the box

• I prefer a lot of changes

• Different sites have different needs

• Really Simple Discovery • Really Simple Discovery

• Windows Live Writer

• Shortlink for posts are pointless

• Hide RSS only if you have no blog

Variables

Variables

• Define sectional page characteristics • Different criteria / different sections• Different criteria / different sections• Mix and Match - Be creative• No definitive ‘right‘ or ‘wrong‘• The goal is to be 100% unique sitewide

Variables Are Listed in Help

Default

• Enter variables for every different type of content. (Varies by site)

• Use ‘noindex, follow‘ for pages you • Use ‘noindex, follow‘ for pages you don‘t want to be indexed, but still want to get the benefit of any inbound links.

• Taxonomies are for sectional structure

• Categories, tags, format (?)

• Use %%page%% to uniquify • Use %%page%% to uniquify

• Fill out all sections completely

• Use noindex, follow where applicable

• There‘s no absolute right or wrong

SocialSocial

Social

XML Sitemaps

• Oddly named sitemap_index.xml

• Creates multiple xml sitemaps

• Delete your old sitemap.xml file

Submit sitemap_index.xml to GWMT• Submit sitemap_index.xml to GWMT

• Disable author map for single authors

• No need to submit the others

PermalinksPermalinks

• Permalinks are still set normally

• Plugin supplements WP settings

• Most sites best served by %postname%• Most sites best served by %postname%

• News sites need dates for Google news

• Don‘t choose to redirect ugly URLs

Internal LinksInternal Links

• Breadcrumbs are good for users

• Breacrumbs are good for crawlers

• They usually go above the content• They usually go above the content

• Won‘t work w/o a theme edit

• Default settings are usually fine

• LOOK to ensure they make sense

RSSRSS

RSS

• Scrapers will steal your content

• Cane from his old plugin ‘RSS footer‘

• Allows you to prepend or append posts• Allows you to prepend or append posts

• Sites that scrape you, then give you links

• Might not be a good thing anymore?

Import / Export

• Time this saves is astounding

• Imports info from other SEO plugins

• Export settings for use elsewhere• Export settings for use elsewhere

• Include or exclude taxonomy data

• Check your settings after an import!

Bulk Editor

• Change titles

• Change descriptions

• Does not pull in defaults ;(

• Still semi useful for title tags• Still semi useful for title tags

• Better off doing them at page level

Edit Files

• An often used feature

• Another huge time saver

• Edit the robots.txt file

• Edit the .htaccess file • Edit the .htaccess file

• Be careful / make a backup - one misplaced .htaccess character can kill your site ;(

Extensions

Granular On Page SEO

• Scroll beneath any content

• Box should be visible for admins

• Four tabs of info and tools• Four tabs of info and tools

• Can‘t see it? Check your screen options

• Page Analysis requires a ‘focus keyword‘

• Use it to improve the on page SEO, & more.

Every Page / Post Offers More:

General Tab

Type in a Focus KW to see the magic

Page Analysis Tab

Advanced Tab

Social Tab Options

Other “Yoast Enhanced“ Areas

Media Files

Individual Categories

Individual Author Profiles

Take Aways

• Out of the box configuration needs tweaking

• Use %%page%% to uniquify everything

• Noindex, but ‘follow‘ where appropriate• Noindex, but ‘follow‘ where appropriate

• Export your settings for easy use elsewhere

• Import my config file at SearchCommander.com

Scott Hendison

Thank You

Scott [email protected]

configuring the yoast wordpress seo plugin

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